1. Technical Field
The disclosure relates to a capsule endoscope system for introducing a capsule endoscope into a subject to observe the inside of the subject.
2. Related Art
In recent years, a capsule endoscope that is formed in a size insertable into the digestive tract of a subject, for example, a patient has been under development in the field of endoscope. The capsule endoscope is a device that is provided with an imaging function and a wireless communication function inside a capsule-shaped casing. The capsule endoscope is swallowed through the mouth of a subject, then sequentially images the inside of the digestive tract of the subject while moving inside the digestive tract by, for example, peristaltic movement to acquire an image signal, and transmits the acquired image signal to the outside of the subject. The image signal is received through a plurality of antennas disposed on the body surface of the subject, subjected to predetermined signal processing, and then output to an image display device. The image display device displays an image based on the image signal as a still image or a moving image. A doctor observes the image of the inside of the digestive tract (hereinafter, also referred to as an in-vivo image) displayed in this manner to diagnose a state of the digestive tract of the subject.
Such a capsule endoscope system has a function of detecting the position of the capsule endoscope inserted into the subject. For example, there is known a technique that estimates the position of a capsule endoscope by providing a coil that generates an alternating magnetic field in the capsule endoscope and detecting the alternating magnetic field by a plurality of sense coils placed outside a subject (refer to JP 2009-213613 A, for example). Alternatively, the position of the capsule endoscope may be estimated on the basis of the strength of an image signal received by each of a plurality of antennas.
Typically, a capsule endoscope system has an examination management function of managing an examination. Image signals and positional information of a capsule endoscope are generated and then sequentially stored in association with an examination file issued by the examination management function.